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Roto VR, a London-based tech company, has secured £2.4m in funding to help it take a new type of gaming chair to market.
The rollout of the Roto VR Explorer chair, billed as ‘the world’s first interactive VR chair’, was launched globally on November 8th 2024.
The chair is part of the ‘Made for Meta’ program and is compatible with 400+ games and apps available from the Meta Horizon store. Meta is the largest VR headset provider and has sold 20m+ quest VR headsets since 2019.
As part of Roto’s second funding round, investment firm Pembroke VCT contributed £500,000, alongside new and existing angel investors from both the UK and US.
New investment will support Roto’s next phase of growth as it takes the new gaming chair to market. Funds will be used to fulfil demand for the launch of the VR Explorer by increasing operational capacity and broadening its market reach.
Roto VR says it has ‘introduced a new category in gaming chairs, addressing challenges like motion sickness and limited immersion with a 360-degree interactive design’.
‘Through its eye-tracking technology, the Explorer chair aligns physical rotation with users’ eye gaze, providing an immersive, safe, and comfortable VR experience. In addressing the key issues of viewing and engaging with 360-degree content whilst seated, Roto also alleviates the safety issues often experienced with standing VR.’
“The Roto VR Explorer exemplifies British innovation with global impact. With high-profile contracts and industry partnerships, Roto VR is positioned for growth as it continues to disrupt the VR landscape.”
Andrew Wolfson, Pembroke Investment Managers
Pembroke will continue in its role as a strategic partner – advising on key hires. providing counsel, as well as access to various networks. Pembroke first invested in Roto VR in December 2019 and has now invested a total of £2.2m into the business.
Since 2019, Roto VR has secured new contracts with industry leaders and has partnered with Meta, under the ‘Made for Meta’ programme. Retail agreements have been signed in the UK and US, such as with Amazon, GameStop, Argos and Selfridges. GameStop will also be providing in-store demonstrations of the chair in key stores.
Since Pembroke’s latest investment, Roto VR has enhanced the Explorer chair with a head tracker for ‘look and turn’ viewing and the ‘Rumble’ attachment for haptic feedback.
The business has started mass production in China and lands on the market alongside press and influencer reviews.
The news comes as Samsung and Google are set to launch VR headsets in 2025.
Elsewhere, earlier this year, UK leisure centres began offering VR physical esports experiences with Active Reality and GLL. And ESG Gaming hosted VR/esports workshops for the over 55s.
Elliott Myers, Founder of Roto VR, commented: “My team and I are thrilled to be launching the Roto VR Explorer with industry leading partners such as Meta, after a considerable period of product development and market analysis. I’m especially grateful to all our investors who continue to support our efforts and I’m excited for the next chapter in our journey.”
Andrew Wolfson, CEO of Pembroke Investment Managers, added: “Elliott and his team have engineered a solution that not only overcomes common barriers in VR engagement but also greatly enhances the overall experience. The Roto VR Explorer exemplifies British innovation with global impact. With high-profile contracts and industry partnerships, Roto VR is positioned for growth as it continues to disrupt the VR landscape.”
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
